1. The salary of the highest-paid black Union soldier was half that of the lowest-paid white soldier. Black soldiers were so angry about their miniscule pay that they staged a protest where they refused their salary for 18 months. They finally received equal pay in September 1864.
2. Although prohibited from enlisting, women frequently joined in the fight on both sides in the war by disguising themselves as men.
3. One requirement for fighting in the war was that the soldiers have four opposing front teeth. This was so they were able to open a gunpowder pouch. This prompted many people to remove their front teeth to avoid being drafted.
4. Confederate soldiers were often involved in huge, playful snowball fights during the war. These epic battles would involve calling reinforcements and taking prisoners, and were fought between as many as 10,000 soldiers.
5. Confederate soldier WV Meadows was shot in the eye during the Battle of Vicksburg. He managed to survive and 58 years later he coughed the same bullet out of his mouth.
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